The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Spanish dagger grown for use as an ornamental for container or the landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Yucca gloriosa var. recurvifolia and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘WALBRISTAR’.
The species of Yucca known as Yucca gloriosa is native to the sand dunes of the south eastern United States. Yucca gloriosa carries rigid upright leaves with a smooth underside. During the 1920s, many hybrids of Yucca gloriosa were introduced to cultivation, either as hybrids within the species, or as hybrids with other species of Yucca including Yucca aloifolia, Yucca filamentosa or Yucca flaccida. Of these hybrids, some selections have continued to be classified as Yucca gloriosa whilst others which exhibit flexible and recurving foliage have been classified as Yucca recurvifolia. In addition, the leaves of plants described as Yucca recurvifolia are generally observed to have a rough underside. Because ‘WALBRISTAR’ originated in a crop of plants which have been known and described as variegated Yucca gloriosa, but because the leaves of ‘WALBRISTAR’ tend to recurve and have a rough underside, then the inventor considers that the most representative designation of the species is Yucca gloriosa var. recurvifolia. However, it appears to be industry practice to condense this designation to Yucca recurvifolia. 
Each year, the inventor propagates Yucca by removing the side shoots, commonly known as “pups”, from the base of the stems of the parent plants of variegated Yucca gloriosa (unpatented). In 2000, in the course of this propagation, the inventor observed one side shoot whose rosette of foliage was atypical of the parent. Approximately one half side of this atypical rosette exhibited a greater degree of golden variegation. The inventor removed this one side shoot with the intention of attempting to produce a new plant form whose entire rosette would exhibit a uniformly more golden variegation. The inventor rooted the first-discovered side shoot and removed its growing point in order to encourage rapid basal side shoot production. In 2001, the inventor observed that three side shoots had arisen with varying degrees of golden variegation. The inventor observed that one of these three side shoots exhibited a uniform and significant degree of golden variegation. This one side shoot, ‘WALBRISTAR’, was removed and transferred to the inventor's tissue culture laboratory where it was successfully initiated into culture and then multiplied by the same method of removing basal shoot cuttings, but in vitro.
‘WALBRISTAR’ was first asexually propagated from basal shoot cuttings in vitro which were deflasked during 2002 and rooted in ordinary peat-based growing medium. The inventor observed the resulting crop of plants and determined that the original characteristics of ‘WALBRISTAR’ had been reproduced identically, and that ‘WALBRISTAR’ is stable and reproduces true to type.
When compared with other varieties of Yucca gloriosa or Yucca recurvifolia known to the inventor, and also in comparison with its parent, ‘WALBRISTAR’ exhibits a much broader and deeper colored yellow margin. ‘WALBRISTAR’ also exhibits a more lax habit than its parent and is also slower growing than its parent.
‘WALBRISTAR’ has produced no flowers to date.